Rarely sequels are better than the original... but "Arkham City", the follow up to "Batman: Arkham Asylum", was one of the exceptions to the rule. Not only did it improve on its bland and disappointing predecessor in every possible way, not only it turned out to be one of the best superhero games ever produced, but also it can be counted among the top games in any genre, period. Its not at all necessary to be a fan of the character to enjoy this gem... and I'd argue, its not necessary to play the first game in the series either. Beyond a couple of references to the original, the series could have started at this chapter just as well, and this is what I'd recommend to new players of the Arkham games: It isn't worth it to complete Arkham Asylum just to see the whole story.

The game takes place in a whole section of Gotham City, closed down and turned into a big prison complex, where criminals and supercriminals have free for all and fight among themselves for control. In terms of the gameplay, though, Arkham City represents an open game space where you, the player, can freely travel from spot to spot, climb buildings and swing between them. The mobility, once you get the hang of the game, is superb. Very aerial, just moving around the city becomes an exciting experience, while the non linear nature of the missions and collectibles give you a remarkable feeling of freedom and keeps you interested in the game.

No gameplay feature in "City" is underused... from the exciting and greatly expanded combat, to the numerous gadgets you can employ in many, often creative ways. Most importantly, Arkham City received a lot of surprising attention to detail in regards to interactivity, specially how the enemies and the environment react to certain player actions. Experimenting with the game is often rewarded. The stealth sequences are also greatly improved from Asylum, they're harder, they demand a bit more thinking and skill from the player. They're fun.

But the main dish is still Batman kung fu, and the game doesn't disappoint in this area. The variety and creativity you can invest in your fighting against large groups of foes, greatly honors its Batman license. Furthermore, you aren't limited to play as the Dark Knight this time, and best of all, the other characters all feel very enjoyable and different to Batman.., each has its own set of moves to fight and means of travel. This feature expands the already good variety and replayability of the game quite a bit.

In contrast to the campy, '60s style Batman of the previous game, this is a more modern take featuring a lot more brutality and grit, both in visuals and in writing. The gothic style of the art design coupled with a gameplay-focused architecture, results in a visually compelling, but at the same time entertaining, Arkham City. And the costumed criminals, Batman's main foes, are so much better written and delivered by the voice actors in comparison. They actually feel like the violent, psychopatic, disturbed criminals they're supposed to be. Gone are the endless, and senseless, Joker ramblings on the comm from the first game. Here, all the voice work has a purpose in the narrative. The story line branches a lot more, its not on rails anymore... many things are happening at the same time, not to mention it is more "noir" flavored, and more logical too... without the huge plot holes and implausibilities from the first game.

Perhaps the only design problem from Arkham City is the lack of proper, satisfactory difficulty settings with less of a skill gap. This is a problem which, in fact, seems aggravated from Asylum. "Easy" is, well, easy. Its alright for casual or young players. The normal difficulty, though, is still rather low, and underwhelming for an experienced player... while the "hard" difficulty is incredibly tough to just anybody. While "hard" becomes satisfying after the player truly learns the combat system from experience and gains some skill perks, its almost impossible to beat for a new player, skilled or not. I think an intermediate difficulty, between "normal" and "hard", is missing from the game.

Batman: Arkham City, is still a fantastic game in the present day, even after all these years since its release. Its a modern classic which has never been outdated by modern games, simply because all of its individual components were polished to near perfection and still work so well together. In this sense, Arkham City is like Batman himself, who trained his mind and body to their peak in the process of wearing the cape. And he's still relevant as a character today, after more than 80 years of comic books.

Rarely sequels are better than the original... but "Arkham City", the follow up to "Batman: Arkham Asylum", was one of the exceptions to the rule. Not only did it improve on its bland and disappointing predecessor in every possible way, not only it turned out to be one of the best superhero games ever produced, but also it can be counted among the top games in any genre, period. Its not at all necessary to be a fan of the character to enjoy this gem... and I'd argue, its not necessary to play the first game in the series either. Beyond a couple of references to the original, the series could have started at this chapter just as well, and this is what I'd recommend to new players of the Arkham games: It isn't worth it to complete Arkham Asylum just to see the whole story. The game takes place in a whole section of Gotham City, closed down and turned into a big prison complex, where criminals and supercriminals have free for all and fight among themselves for control. In terms of the gameplay, though, Arkham City represents an open game space where you, the player, can freely travel from spot to spot, climb buildings and swing between them. The mobility, once you get the hang of the game, is superb. Very aerial, just moving around the city becomes an exciting experience, while the non linear nature of the missions and collectibles give you a remarkable feeling of freedom and keeps you interested in the game. No gameplay feature in "City" is underused... from the exciting and greatly expanded combat, to the numerous gadgets you can employ in many, often creative ways. Most importantly, Arkham City received a lot of surprising attention to detail in regards to interactivity, specially how the enemies and the environment react to certain player actions. Experimenting with the game is often rewarded. The stealth sequences are also greatly improved from Asylum, they're harder, they demand a bit more thinking and skill from the player. They're fun. But the main dish is still Batman kung fu, and the game doesn't disappoint in this area. The variety and creativity you can invest in your fighting against large groups of foes, greatly honors its Batman license. Furthermore, you aren't limited to play as the Dark Knight this time, and best of all, the other characters all feel very enjoyable and different to Batman.., each has its own set of moves to fight and means of travel. This feature expands the already good variety and replayability of the game quite a bit. In contrast to the campy, '60s style Batman of the previous game, this is a more modern take featuring a lot more brutality and grit, both in visuals and in writing. The gothic style of the art design coupled with a gameplay-focused architecture, results in a visually compelling, but at the same time entertaining, Arkham City. And the costumed criminals, Batman's main foes, are so much better written and delivered by the voice actors in comparison. They actually feel like the violent, psychopatic, disturbed criminals they're supposed to be. Gone are the endless, and senseless, Joker ramblings on the comm from the first game. Here, all the voice work has a purpose in the narrative. The story line branches a lot more, its not on rails anymore... many things are happening at the same time, not to mention it is more "noir" flavored, and more logical too... without the huge plot holes and implausibilities from the first game. Perhaps the only design problem from Arkham City is the lack of proper, satisfactory difficulty settings with less of a skill gap. This is a problem which, in fact, seems aggravated from Asylum. "Easy" is, well, easy. Its alright for casual or young players. The normal difficulty, though, is still rather low, and underwhelming for an experienced player... while the "hard" difficulty is incredibly tough to just anybody. While "hard" becomes satisfying after the player truly learns the combat system from experience and gains some skill perks, its almost impossible to beat for a new player, skilled or not. I think an intermediate difficulty, between "normal" and "hard", is missing from the game. Batman: Arkham City, is still a fantastic game in the present day, even after all these years since its release. Its a modern classic which has never been outdated by modern games, simply because all of its individual components were polished to near perfection and still work so well together. In this sense, Arkham City is like Batman himself, who trained his mind and body to their peak in the process of wearing the cape. And he's still relevant as a character today, after more than 80 years of comic books.